Science

Amateur astronomers recently discovered a planet with four suns. The discovery itself is remarkable — but all the more so because it was made by amateurs. David Greene talks with Arfon Smith from the Adler Planetarium in Chicago about the discovery and the growing contributions that so-called "armchair" astronomers are making to the field.

A Vermont college's decision to slaughter two oxen after one suffered an injury has sparked some serious debate. The college cited sustainability as one of its reasons, but some students and animal rights advocates say it's just not right to serve Bill and Lou for dinner.

Maybe it's because Halloween is right around the corner, but when we saw this image, our first thought was nougat, a confection that's been around for centuries. But what we're looking at is a lot older — and more heavenly.

A professor spends his off-time tracking the little things in life that bother us. Marc Abrahams, editor of the Annals of Improbable Research, tells us what poor parking, long waits in the doctor's office, and the controversial brussel sprout tell us about science.

Science Or Folklore? — The Old Farmer's Almanac predicts winter weather months in advance. Is that even scientifically possible? Meteorologist Jason Samenow, of The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang, talks about the science and art of seasonal forecasting, and why even the pros at NOAA sometimes get it wrong.

A NASA spacecraft captured the clearest recording yet of what space sounds like inside Earth's radiation belts. Craig Kletzing, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Iowa, explains what causes these eerie chirping noises, and what we can learn from them.

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